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  • Meet the Governors

    Welcome to our Governors’ section
    Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
    We have also provided a Register of Governor Interests and an Annual Statement of Issues for your information.
    Ali Ryder - Chair of Governors Dawn Ashby - Parent
    Re-appointed: 10.09.22 Re-appointed: 13.10.22
    Appointed by: Diocese Appointed by: Parents
    Term of office: 4 years Term of office: 4 years
    Business and Pecuniary interests: None  Business and Pecuniary interests:  None
    Other governor roles: None Other governor roles: None
    Attendance: Sept. 2022 to present - 8/8 Attendance: Sept. 2022 to present - 6/8
    I have a background in civil engineering and am now working as a garden designer and in a plant nursery in Cornwall. I've been a Governor of St.Andrew's since 2018 and became Chair in February 2023. I'm hoping that I'll be able to use my skills to help St.Andrew's continue to be the great community that it is, growing and nurturing all children to thrive and flourish. 

    I have been a parent Governor of St.Andrew's since 2018. I have a background in Environmental Science and have worked at Plymouth Marine Laboratory in several roles for over 20 years, including information and project management and, latterly, in science communication. I am also a keen musician, being one of the leaders of the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, and I am involved with several youth ensembles.

    Sasha Tamblyn - Staff  Andrew Bellamy - Parent 

    Re-appointed: 18.02.22

    Appointed: 15.12.22
    Appointed by: Staff  Appointed by: Parents
    Term of office: 4 years Term of office: 4 years
    Business and Pecuniary interests: None Business and Pecuniary interests: None
    Other governor roles: None Other governor roles: None
    Attendance: Sept. 2022 to present - 8/8 Attendance:Jan. 2023 to present - 6/6

    I have worked at St.Andrew's for 12 years and currently teach in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2. I have been a Governor for over 10 years and love being part of the team. Outside of school, I enjoy reading and going on adventures with my little girl.

    I'm Andrew Bellamy, originally from Birmingham, moving to Plymouth in 2010 from London. I am married with 2 boys at St.Andrew's. I work for a fertiliser company, making and distributing bespoke grades of fertiliser to the agriculture industry. In my spare time I enjoy taking our dog for walks and going out making memories with the family.

    Miss Carys Lewis - Headteacher Mrs Alison Heath-Taylor
    Appointed: 01.09.2022 Appointed: 20.06.23
    Appointed by: Board of Governors Appointed by: Diocese
    Term of office:  Term of office: 4 years
    Business and Pecuniary interests: Director of CaterEd Business and Pecuniary interests: None
    Other governor roles: None Other governor roles: None
    Attendance: Sept. 2022 to present - 8/8 Attendance: June 2023 to present - 3/3

    I am lucky to have been part of the St.Andrew's Primary School community for many years, as a class teacher, SENCo, Assistant Head and more recently as Headteacher and Governor. It is a privilege to work with children, supporting them to thrive and celebrating their achievements as they move from Foundation to Year 6. School life is busy, but in my spare time I love spending time with family and friends, climbing mountains or walking the coast paths.

    I have been involved in education for my whole career and after ten years spent as a school leader, I retired and moved to Plymouth. Since June 2023, following my appointment as a Foundation Governor (with a specific interest in EYFS) I have enjoyed being a part of the St Andrews’ Primary community! I am a member of St Andrews church and enjoy sea swimming, walking, reading and meeting up with friends.
    Rev. Joe Dent - Governor Beth Williams - Local Authority Governor 
    Appointed: 24.05.14 Appointed: 23.02.23
    Appointed by: Diocese Appointed by: Board of Governors
    Term of office: N/A Term of office: 4 years

    Business and Pecuniary interests: St. Andrew's PCC

    Ladies Aid Society. Sevenoaks Gospel Trust

    Business and Pecuniary interests: None 
    Other governor roles: None Other governor roles: None
    Attendance: Sept. 2022 to present - 4/8 Attendance: March 2023 to present -3/4
    I am a Vicar of St.Andrew's Church and very pleased to have such a close working relationship with the school. I've lived in Plymouth since 2013. I'm married to Catherine and we have 4 school-aged children. I have served as a Governor at St.Andrew's since 2014.

    I qualified to teach in 1998 and, since then, have always been involved in primary education, holding many roles from teaching assistant to Headteacher. I now work for the Local Authority as the Schools' Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead. I have 2 children of primary age and really enjoy the adventures that we have as a family, particularly when they involve a beach, some sun and ice cream!

     
    Liz Salter - Governor  
    Appointed: 04.10.21  
    Appointed by: Diocese  
    Term of office: 4 years  
    Business and Pecuniary interests:   
    Other governor roles: None  
    Attendance:   
    I was a language teacher in Secondary and Prep schools for most of my career, and also have senior leadership experience. I spent the last few years before retirement working with SEND children, and I am the Governors’ SEND link. I have enjoyed being a Governor for 4 years and am a member of St Andrew’s church.  

    Clerk to Governors

    Attendance  2021 - 2022

    A. Allchurch                    9/9                    
    Rev. Joe Dent

          6/9       

    Mandy Dove      9/9      
    S. Tamblyn       8/9       
    Zoe Masters    6/6    
    Holly Page      6/9      
    Ali Ryder       9/9      
    Dawn Ashby      6/9      
    Elizabeth Salter      7/9      
    Gary Futcher

    8/9 

    Attendance  2020 - 2021

    A. Allchurch

               9/9           

    Rev. Joe Dent     7/9    
    Mandy Dove 9/9
    S.Tamblyn 4/4
    Zoe Masters 8/9
    Ali Ryder  8/9
    Dawn Ashby 8/9
    L King 3/5
    Holly Page 5/7
    Gary Futcher  4/9 

    Attendance - September 2018 to July 2019

    A. Allchurch 9/9
    Steph Booth 6/9
    Rev. Joe Dent 7/9
    Gwen Dent 2/9 (resigned 18.10.2018)
    Mandy Dove 8/9
    S.Tamblyn 8/9
    Zoe Masters 8/9
    Rob Alcock 9/9
    Ali Ryder  8/9
    Dawn Ashby 8/9
    Ben Lyon-Ross 3/9 (appointed 28.11.2018)
    Rob Clark 1/9 (appointed 28.01.2019)
    Gary Futcher 1/9 (appointed 13.05.2019)

    Previous Governors

    NAME  APPOINTED APPOINTED BY - 
    Mrs A. Allchurch 01.09.13 Board of Governors
    Zoe Masters 14.10.19 Board of Governors
    Rob Alcock 23.07.18 Diocese
    Dr. A Chatterjee 13.10.14 Parents 
    Gwen Dent 18.04.16 Diocese
    Pat Williams 29.06.15 Diocese
    Oliver Colvile 11.04.16 Foundation Governor
    Matthew Thompson   Diocese
    Katherine Kingdom 01.10.2012 Diocese
    Gill Wood 08.07.2012 Diocese
    Debbie Marsh 14.01.2012 Diocese

    Introduction

    A school's Board of Governors is there to provide oversight of the management and operation of the school. The governors help the school take a strategic view of its activities and bring experience and expertise from other walks of life into the school. This section will tell you who the governors are, how they are appointed and elected, what they do, what their legal duties are and how you can contact them or seek to get involved as a governor yourself.

    What does the Board of Governors do?

    The Board of Governors does not run the school. That is the job of the Headteacher and the leadership team.  Rather, the governors provide independent oversight of the school and how it is run. The school is required to report to the governors on various aspects of management and planning and, by acting as 'critical friends', the governors can give the school an invaluable sounding board.

    Some aspects of the governors' role in the school are laid down by law. For example, the governors are required to approve the school budget. Also, if the school decides to exclude a pupil permanently that decision has to be reviewed by an independent panel of governors.

    Major strategic decisions of the school also have to be approved by the governors. A recent example at St Andrew’s has been the decision to:

    • investigate multi-academy trust partnerships 

    What sort of people are the governors?

    The governors are all volunteers and the role is part-time. Most of them have full-time jobs elsewhere. One of the major benefits of the Board of Governors is that the governors are all able to bring experience and expertise from vastly different walks of life to bear on their work with the school. This can help the school take a more creative and strategic approach to management, problem-solving and long-term strategic planning.   

    The current board includes governors with experience in education, policy analysis, human resources, diplomacy, health and safety, management, information technology, financial services and business systems.

    According to a Government publication, more people in the UK today come forward to be school governors than for any other volunteer activity.

    How are the governors elected or appointed?

    There are a number of different routes onto the Board of Governors. At St Andrew’s the board is made up of:

    • Eight Foundation governors: appointed by Diocese;
    • One Staff governor: elected by the staff;
    • Two Parent governors: elected by the parents;
    • One Local Authority governor: appointed by the Board of Governors;
    • One co-opted governor: appointed by the Board of Governors;
    • The Headteacher: appointed by the Board of Governors

    All governors (except the headteacher, whose position is ex officio) serve a four-year term, at the end of which they may stand for re-election or re-appointment.  There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may serve. When a parent governor’s term ends, an announcement is made about an election and all parents or carers of pupils at the school are eligible to stand.

    The chair and vice-chair of Governors are elected by the full Board of Governors at its first meeting of each school year. Governors can be contacted by email or in writing via the school admin office.

        


    How is the work of the governors organised?

    The full Board of Governors meets nine times in each academic year. Each meeting covers the content agreed in the Governors Management Plan.

    Governors also attend Governor Days at the school three times a year and training provided by the Governor Development Team (PCC) and the Diocese.

    Minutes of the Full Board of Governor meetings are made available once they have been approved.